Coco’s journey is particularly inspiring – and not just because he’s from tiny little Curaçao – but because he was considered a ‘has-been’ by Major League Baseball.

“It’s not like there were two [Major League Baseball] clubs that passed on him and he went over there [Japan] and played great. There were 30 clubs that passed on him, and he went over there and found his niche. It’s kind of remarkable what he’s done.” — Former Mariners GM Bill Bavasi (Source)

Goes to show, no matter how many times you get rejected and how many times you want to give up, hang in there, don’t stop believing. Never, never, never give up on your dreams!

‘Kokada’ freshly grated coconut patties held together in a sugar syrup, tinted with food coloring for a festive look, should not to be confused with the more popular gooey coconut macaroon or hard Vietnamese ‘kẹo dừa’. Typically sold as colorful palm-sized patties by street vendors, bite-sized versions (in small cupcake wrappers) tend to adorn Curaçao-style dessert table at weddings, first communions and birthday parties.